sas-lou

Firstly, i am a realist (canada is not in a bubble), i am not a money grabber (willing to take a lower paid job until they see my excellent work ethic) but damn i am slightly worried now.

Parents will say that partly or mostly their reason for leaving the UK is for their children and im also in that boat.

I am aware that if things were so bad in canada then people wouldnt emigrate, and yet we keep on applying.

I spoke to my hubby last night about what people had mentioned on the thread and he mostly agreed although he believes that Canadian's are good drivers (compared to the UK anyway).

So hubby asked me what my expectations are and i told him that my only concern is with such little holiday allowance (10 days .. WHAT), am i going to be somewhat neglecting my kids. I will have to work full-time and well maybe im being silly, but for all the UK faults, i do spend so much time with the kids.
Barclays is brilliant in that i get 23 days holiday, and bank holidays off, if the kids are ill, then i get paid time off to look after them.

I suppose what im really asking "Is Canada a family friendly country especially in the work place?"
I could never imagine having a child in Canada as it is so expensive .. the country im my opinion doesnt seem to be focused on the family unit.

Please tell me i am wrong.
Thank you

Tim E

Like anything else it depends on where you are living and the company you work for. 2 Weeks vacation is not cast in stone. There are companies out there that offer more and they will also increase the allocation at different times. The company I work for gives me 2 weeks for the first 2 years then increases it to 3 until I reach 6 years service when they up it to 4. This is puny by comparison as I got 5 weeks staright out of university when I first started work.

There is an upside. My boss refuses to let anyone work past 5pm unless absolutely necessary so I am home and with the kids by 5:30pm on average. There's also alot more for kids to do than in the UK which may just be the area we live in, but on the whole I think it is more family oriented over here. We have been here a year now and although my wife found it quite difficult to settle she has now found a circle of friends and some clubs to join and is doing ok.

Never at any stage have I thought that I'd made the wrong decision

Hope this helps

Tim

iaink

Short answer is "Depends entirely on the employer"


Canada in general pretty kid friendly though, with many community supported activities pretty much just for kids. I dont think its any worse than the UK in terms of expense.

The holiday thing seems barbaric, but to be honest once you are here it doesnt seem to matter that much (at least once you get 3 weeks, which is becoming much more common) But you will never know how it applies to you and your circumstances if you dont try it.

The main hassle is what to do with kids in the long summer break if both parents work and as an immigrant you dont have the option of packing them off to the cottage with gran and gramps or the stay at home sister in law. Camp can only do so much, and its not cheap.

JET747

Hello, I echo the same, but I have heard of very few people if any who have come back to the UK. I hear of people doing it from Oz though. I think as Tim says it depends on how good a company you work for.

Personally I would be more worried these days about working in a bank than moving to Canada.

JET

dbd33

But isn't a major part of "emigrating for the sake of the children" the possibility of one parent staying home? If you can't provide that then it's not obvious to me how children would be better off here than there.

spaceace

also you have also got to remember that threads like that are usually born from frustration, so from an outsiders view looking in, we may not get a balanced view - no disrespect to the poster BTW.

montreal mike

Actually I started that thread because I found the reactions down under really negative. In this part of the world however it seems more rosy. For instance a frequent complaint about Canada was crap TV.

I find that amusing. What a blessing to have such trivial problems .

iaink

Well, that is a major advantage for us, but I can also understand why both parents would sometimes want to work, and I think Canada offers possibilities to raise kids in a kinder, less frenetic, more "kidcentric" environment, free of a lot of the stress and petty (and not so petty) antisocial behaviour they might witness in some parts of the UK.

Its not perfect of course and Im not saying all of Canada is better than all of the UK, but I think you can find what you are looking for on a more practical budget in Canada.

dbd33

Of course it depends on the age of the children and the precise location but, it seems to me that a child left in a daycare or with the nanny is going to have a similar experience in either country. It'll come down to luck with the nanny or daycare. I don't, btw, know any families where both parents worked while the children were or are under ten. I think a combination of social stigma and the high cost of daycare makes that less usual here than in the UK.

ann m

If both parents are working their nuts off in the UK and are aiming for a less frenetic pace of life with a move to Canada, I simply do not see the point of both parents coming here and then going out to work full time again. I'm not saying it shouldn't be done, and I'm not being bullish about the financial necessity sometimes. But personally, I don't see the point ! I'm not convinced that Canada offers such differences as to warrant swapping one chaotic life for another. One must find some easing of pace, or peace or time, or health or finances - or in an ideal world, a combination of all of the above. At least one element should rise above the others so as to ensure the move is a worthwhile exercise. IMHO.

We've been lucky enough to combine a couple of those things so it has been a good move for our family. But to come here for a poor salary and a considerable mortgage and work full time and put kids into alternative care for a big chunk of the week ? I don't get it.

iaink

Kids dont spend all day in daycare (Or at least they shouldnt!)

For example my two year old will be starting skating lessons this week. The local group are turning a blind eye / bending the rules because they know us, and we have to take her sister anyway half an hour later. Shes been trying to get on the ice with her sister for the last two sessions, and technically she is still too young this time around, but Canada being Canada they are trying to accomodate her.

Its that kind of thing I was refering too...There are all sorts of things organised for kids to do here, and people are largely very tollerant and helpfull if you bring kids with you to adult events. For example, a couple of the people in the adult community band I play in often bring there kids along to sit in, its just that sort of community here.

dbd33

Quite.

iaink

If both parents have careers and WANT to work becuase they enjoy it and are driven to do it, that fine, its the thought that both parents HAVE to work because of financial constraints to provide for a better future for there kids that bothers me.

I know if I was in the UK as an engineer, we would both HAVE to work to afford a mortgage there. Here only I have to work, but when both kids are in school full time my wife will go back to work too...the extra income will be nice, I wont pretend its not tight on one salary, but at least its doable while the kids are in these important formative years.

I sort of agree that if you move from one chaoitic city to another with all the stress and hassle and time constraints that go with it then it might be a bit pointless, but if you look around you can find plenty of communities that will accomodate a complete change of pace and a change in the financial picture.

sas-lou

Thank you for your replies, i do appriciate it.

I think im just being over sensitive at the moment.

My boys are 13 and 11yrs, so they will make friends and go and hang out.
Its just my time with them that i worry about.

I was fortunate enough to stay at home and raise them until the youngest was 5 so im can't complain.

Its just my opinion especially in Ottawa that with so many people with degree's and focusing on their careers .. having babies is put on the back burner.

And why hire me, someone with kids when you can get someone without the baggage.

Ouch. I think my hubby's depression is rubbing off on me. lol.
Im sure it will be fine, like someone said, it depends on the company and if they dont like what i can offer then i'll take my services elsewhere.
YES .. the fighting spirit is back.

Elaine B.

Since moving back to the UK from Toronto one thing I have noticed is that mums here (at least in the school my little boy goes to) seem to have a lot more options as far as flexible working hours go.

My situation has improved since moving back in that I don't have to work and for the first time in our lives we're managing on one wage. Plus we don't have to pay for babysitters, unless my mum and dad plan to send me a bill at the end of the year